Windshield clearing system



Oct. 28, 1941. E. c. HORTON 2,260,904

WINDSHIELD CLEARING SYSTEM,

Filed July 30, 1938 INVENTOR Erwin C. Morton,

ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 28, 1941 WINDSHIELD CLEARING SYSTEM Erwin C.Horton, Hamburg, N. 1., minor to Trlco Products Corporation, Bufl'alo,N. Y.

Application July 30, 1938; Serial No. 222,183

4 Claims. (01. 20-405) This invention relates to means for maintainingclear vision through windows, more particularly the Windshields of motorvehicles, and it has for its primary object to provide improved meansfor delivering a vision clarifying fluid to the transparency in aneflicient manner, and further it has for its purpose to providepractical means for applying a heated'fluid to the glass to facilitateits solvent action on vision obscuring matter and thereby expedite theremoval of the latter.

The invention also contemplates the raising of the temperature of theclearing fluid by practical means and with a view toward conservation ofits supply.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a view illustrating the present inventionincorporated in a motor vehicle;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the pump;

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the fluid heater;

' Fig. 4 is a detailed view depicting a branched delivery pipe forplural deliveries; and

Fig. 5 is a'sectional showing of the shut-ofi I valve.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral l designates awiper reciprocated on the windshield glass 2 by a motor 3. A jet ornozzle'l is disposed on the cowl to throw fluid or liquid upwardly ontothe glass in the path of the wiper as it is delivered thereto by a pump5 whichreceives a charge of liquid from the reservoir 6.

may be rendered accessible through a removable .cap 20. The deliverypipe may be divided, Fig.

The pump maybe suction operated and is herein depicted as beingconnected to the intake manifold I of the vehicle engine 8 by a line ofcommunication 9 which has an interposed and readily accessible shut-ofior control valve ill. When the valve is depressed against its spring Hto block the atmospheric vent l2 the kerf or slot l3 and its connectedbore It will establish communicatirn between the pump and source of lowpressure to draw up the diaphragm or piston l5 against'the urgeof itsspring. I6 andtherebyintake a charge of fluid from the reservoir 6. Uponreleasing the shut-01f valve the vent l2 will equalize the pres sure inthe motor chamber ll of the pump and permit the spring It to function byforcing the piston downwardly for expelling the liquid through thedelivery pipe "to the nozzle. By

reason of the vent l2 the pressure differential isdissipated so as topermit such spring action without requiring the attention of themotorist during the delivery of the solution. Inlet and outlet checkvalves Iii and 20, respectively, are properly located for the greatestefliciency and cooperate to provide unidirectional flow oi the clearingfluid through thepump. Thevalve 20 5 in: the clearing liquid will derivewhile resting 4, where plural nozzles are provided.

The present arrangement contemplates raising of the temperature of theclearing fluid to increase its efiectiveness inremoving theobjectionable vision obscuring matter from the fleld of vision. Warm orhot liquid, when ejected onto the glass, will more readily soften anddissolve the matter for easy removal. Advantage is gained by merelyheating one charge of the liquid at a time to facilitate matters,although a larger volume may be treated, if desired. In the preferredembodiment the next charge of liquid to be emitted will be heated afterpassage through the pump and thereby prolong the useful life thereof. Toconserve this heated liquid charge against waste, through vaporizationor boiling out through the nozzle, the temperature to which the liquidis brought prior to charge is kept substantially below its boilingpoint. This may be practically accomplished by utilizing the heat fromthe vehicle engine in an indirect or controlled manner.

Accordingly, the illustrated embodiment has a heating unit in the formof a liquid coil 2| in heat exchange contact with the water in theengine jacket. It may be disposed within the inlet pipe 22 leading tothe hot water heater 23 for the passenger compartment of the vehicle andwhich has its return pipe indicated at 24. For ease of insertion aseparate length of pipe 25 may be interposed in the usual flexible inletpipe. The length of the coil and its-adjacency to the discharge nozzle 4will determine the proportion of the entire charge directly heated bythe engine cooling system. If the preliminary portion of the charge isrelatively cool it willnevertheless serve 'to wet the glass forexpediting the subsequent to the nozzle; Should the operation of thepump be repeated immediately after one charge the length of coil and thetemperature of the engine cooling medium will determine the extent ofheat- The hot liquid is kept from therein during the intaking stroke inaddition to the interval of flow therethrough.

While .the foregoing description has been given for clearness ofunderstanding, it is not the intention thereby to restrict the inventionwhich may assume other physical embodiments without departing from thespirit thereof or the scope claimed.

I claim:

1. A window clearing system for a motor vehicle having an engine havinga hot fluid flow, comprising means arranged on the vehicle to deliver avision clearing liquid onto the vehicle windshield, a source of liquidsupply connected by a line of communication to said delivery means, apump for supplying comparatively small charges of liquid from saidsource to said delivery means at intervals, and a heater unit interposedinthe line between the pump and the delivery means and in heat exchangecontact with the hot fluid for deriving heat therefrom to warm thecharge of liquid during the rest period between such intervals wherebythe pump is maintained free of the heated liquid;

2. A window clearing system for a motor vehicle having a hot waterpassage in circuit with the engine cooling system, comprising a nozzlefor delivering a volume of window clearing fluid onto a vehicle windowfor maintaining clear vision therethrough, a source of supply for thefluid, means for delivering small charges of the fluid from the sourceto the nozzle with intervening periods of rest between charges, and aheat transfer unit common to both fluid systems and removably insertedin the hot water passage as a part thereof, said unit having a fluidpassage connecting at one end to the source and at the opposite end tothe nozzle for heating the next charge of fluid during the precedingperiod of rest.

3. A window clearing system for a motor vehicle having an engine with acirculating cooling medium, comprising a nozzle arranged on the vehicleto deliver a vision clearing liquid onto the vehicle windshield, asource of liquid supply connected by a line of communication to saidnozzle, a heating unit interposed in the line in heat exchange contactwith the circulating cooling medium for being heated thereby, and a pumpinterposed in the' line between the source of liquid supply and theheating unit for delivering the liquid under pressure through the unitto said nozzle and having a liquid intaking stroke and an expellingstroke, the volumetric capacity of the line of communication between thepump and nozzle inclusive of the heating unit being substantially equalto that of the pump on its discharge stroke whereby each discharge ofliquid from the nozzle will be acted upon by the heating unit during theinterval between expelling strokes of the pump.

4. A'window clearing system for a motor vehicle comprising a nozzlearranged on the vehicle to deliver a vision clearing liquid onto thevehicle windshield, a source of clearing liquid supply connected by aline of communication to said delivery means, a pump connected'forfeeding the clearing liquid under pressure to said delivery means, saidpump having a spring pressed piston connected by a conduit to a sourceof fluid pressure forbeing operated on one stroke by a fluid pressuredifferential counteracting the spring urge, and manual means for closingthe conduit to the pressure source and simultaneously opening it to theERWIN c. HORTON.

